No Matter How Busy You Are どんなに〜ても・いくら〜でも・たとえ〜ても・さえ〜ば

The N4 lesson on ても introduced “even if.” At N3, the same idea becomes more emphatic: どんなに and いくら push a condition to an extreme (“no matter how much”), while たとえ explicitly asks the listener to imagine a case (“even if”). The result is presented as unchanged despite that condition.

どんなに means “no matter how” and emphasizes degree. It commonly appears with an adjective or adverb before ても: どんなに高くても, “no matter how expensive”; どんなに遅くても, “no matter how late.”

いくら often emphasizes amount or effort: how much you try, ask, or spend. Verbs and い-adjectives take ても (いくら考えても, いくら安くても); nouns and な-adjectives take でも (いくらお金があっても, いくら便利でも). The second clause tells us that the amount or degree doesn’t change the outcome.

たとえ marks the condition as hypothetical or deliberately imagined. It often pairs with ても and makes a statement sound resolute: the speaker has considered the possibility and says the result will still stand.

さえ〜ば is the other side of the condition: it names the one minimum requirement that is enough for the result. Here, having the necessary documents is sufficient. With a verb, use さえすれば or さえ〜ば: 連絡さえすれば, “as long as you contact me.”

Vocabulary